SecurityBrief Australia - Technology news for CISOs & cybersecurity decision-makers
Australia

Data theft Stories

Australian Stories

Data theft stories

Global Stories

Data theft stories

Identity-led intrusions drive cyber extortion tactics
Malware

Identity-led intrusions drive cyber extortion tactics

Attackers are exploiting trusted identities and collaboration tools to steal data and extort victims, leaving defenders with only brief windows to react.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Today
FBI & CrowdStrike disrupt North Korean remote worker plot
Space

FBI & CrowdStrike disrupt North Korean remote worker plot

The bust seizes 187 laptops in Texas and exposes a remote hiring fraud that infiltrated more than 70 US companies, officials said.

By Mara Sugue • 4 min read • Yesterday
Ransomware gangs steal 896 terabytes, Zscaler says
Malware

Ransomware gangs steal 896 terabytes, Zscaler says

Data theft is now driving ransom demands, with average payments rising and attackers increasingly targeting senior staff at exposed companies.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 3 min read • Last month
Red Heron exploits Gitea flaw, uncovers SIXZUT rootkit
Malware

Red Heron exploits Gitea flaw, uncovers SIXZUT rootkit

Attackers turned a newly disclosed Gitea flaw into automated intrusions within days, hitting systems in five countries and exposing source code and secrets.

By Raphael Veloso • 4 min read • Last month
CrowdStrike links PhantomRaven malware to bug bounty hunter
Malware

CrowdStrike links PhantomRaven malware to bug bounty hunter

The stealer's use of typosquatted npm packages has raised fears that bug bounty channels are being abused to monetise stolen developer data.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Last month
Google warns of AI-powered cyberattacks in live ops
Malware

Google warns of AI-powered cyberattacks in live ops

Defenders now have minutes, not hours, as attackers use agentic AI to automate credential theft, scanning and extortion across live operations.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Last month
Google warns cyber attackers are moving to agentic AI
Malware

Google warns cyber attackers are moving to agentic AI

Attackers are compressing intrusions into hours, leaving defenders less time to spot and stop credential-harvesting campaigns.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Last month
Bitdefender warns of school scams across Asia-Pacific
Phishing

Bitdefender warns of school scams across Asia-Pacific

Families across Asia-Pacific are being lured by fake grants, scholarships and delivery alerts as scammers exploit rising education costs and AI tools.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Fri, 28th Aug 2026
Ransomware victim numbers flat as active groups hit record
Data Protection

Ransomware victim numbers flat as active groups hit record

More groups are now driving attacks, leaving victim numbers flat even as ransomware operations reached a record 93 active crews in the quarter.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Fri, 14th Aug 2026
Picus report finds gaps in post-compromise defence
Malware

Picus report finds gaps in post-compromise defence

Organisations still miss most stealthy intrusions after logins, as Picus found only 14% of simulated attacks triggered alerts and exfiltration defence was 7%.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Thu, 13th Aug 2026
Industrial ransomware hits 1,140 incidents in Q2 2026
Virtualisation

Industrial ransomware hits 1,140 incidents in Q2 2026

Industrial firms face growing disruption as ransomware incidents rose 12% to 1,140 in the second quarter, Dragos said.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Wed, 12th Aug 2026
NeuShield adds exfiltration protection to Data Sentinel
Malware

NeuShield adds exfiltration protection to Data Sentinel

By blocking stolen-logins abuse at file level, the new feature aims to curb both data theft and ransomware even after an account is compromised.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Tue, 11th Aug 2026
Google links UNC6671 to cloud extortion brand shift
Software-as-a-Service

Google links UNC6671 to cloud extortion brand shift

Google says the campaign is shifting towards financial and legal firms, with rebranded extortion sites still stealing cloud logins and tokens.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Fri, 7th Aug 2026
BlackFog reports 40% rise in undisclosed ransomware
Malware

BlackFog reports 40% rise in undisclosed ransomware

Undisclosed attacks now dominate ransomware activity, with 2,027 incidents logged in the quarter and data theft reported in 97% of disclosed cases.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Mon, 3rd Aug 2026

Stories from Other Regions

Data theft stories

ChatGPT search links New Zealanders to unsafe sites
Malware

ChatGPT search links New Zealanders to unsafe sites

New Zealand users risk fake login pages and scam sites after ChatGPT search results were found pointing to unsafe links and downloads.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Last month
Canadians fear deepfake fraud ahead of Real-Time Rail
Multi-factor authentication

Canadians fear deepfake fraud ahead of Real-Time Rail

Most Canadians want tighter fraud controls as the new Real-Time Rail could leave less time to block deepfake-driven scams and impersonation.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Tue, 25th Aug 2026
Flare launches free dark web intelligence training lab
Ransomware

Flare launches free dark web intelligence training lab

Defenders facing faster credential theft and account takeovers now have a free, hands-on way to practise dark web intelligence before an incident escalates.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Wed, 5th Aug 2026